Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987 1987 c. 18 Contents Part I Extension Of Time To Pay Debts Time to pay directions on granting decree 1. Time to pay directions. 2. Effect of time to pay direction on diligence. 3. Variation and recall of time to pay direction and arrestment. 4. Lapse of time to pay direction. Time to pay orders following charge or diligence 5. Time to pay orders. 6. Application for time to pay order. 7. Disposal of application. 8. Effect of interim order on diligence. 9. Effect of time to pay order on diligence. 10. Variation and recall of time to pay order and arrestment. 11. Lapse of time to pay order. Miscellaneous 12. Sequestration and insolvency. 13. Saving of creditor’s rights and remedies. 14. Circumstances where direction or order not competent or no longer effective. 15. Interpretation of Part I. Part 1A Diligence on the dependence Availability of diligence on the dependence 15A. Diligence on the dependence of action. 15B. Diligence on the dependence of petition. 15C. Diligence on the dependence to secure future or contingent debts. Application for diligence on the dependence 15D. Application for diligence on the dependence. 15E Grant of warrant without a hearing. 15F. Hearing on application. Execution before service 15G. Execution of diligence before service of summons. Restriction on property attached 15J. Property affected by inhibition on dependence. Recall etc. of diligence on the dependence. 15K. Recall or restriction of diligence on dependence. 15L. Variation of orders and variation or recall of conditions. General and miscellaneous 15M. Expenses of diligence on the dependence. 15N. Application of this Part to admiralty actions. Part III Diligence Against Earnings Introduction 46. New diligences against earnings. Earnings arrestments 47. General effect of earnings arrestment. 48. Debt recoverable by earnings arrestment. 49. Deductions from net earnings to be made by employer. 49A. Deductions where net earnings include holiday pay 50. Review of earnings arrestment. Current maintenance arrestments 51. General effect of current maintenance arrestment. 52. Enforcement of 2 or more obligations to pay maintenance. 53. Deductions from net earnings to be made by employer. 54. Current maintenance arrestment to be preceded by default. 55. Review and termination of current maintenance arrestment. 56. Effect of new maintenance order on current maintenance arrestment. General 57. Failure to comply with arrestment, manner of payment and creditor’s duty when arrestment ceases to have effect. 58. Simultaneous operation of earnings and current maintenance arrestment. 59. Priority among arrestments. Conjoined arrestment orders 60. Conjoined arrestment orders: general provision. 61. Amount recoverable under conjoined arrestment order. 62. Relationship of conjoined arrestment order with earnings and current maintenance arrestments. 63. Sum payable by employer under conjoined arrestment order. 64. Disbursement by sheriff clerk of sums received from employer. 65. Operation of conjoined arrestment order. 66. Recall and variation of conjoined arrestment order. Supplementary provisions 67. Equalisation of diligences not to apply. 69. Restriction on liability of employer in operating diligence against earnings. 70. Execution and intimation of copies. 70A. Employer’s duty to provide information. 70B. Failure to give notice under section 70A(5). 70C. Creditor’s duty to provide information. 70D. Debtor’s duty to provide information. 71. Employer’s fee for operating diligence against earnings. 72. Effect of sequestration on diligence against earnings. 73. Interpretation of Part III. Part 3A Arrestment and action of furthcoming 73A. Arrestment and action of furthcoming to proceed only on decree or document of debt. Part IV Recovery Of Rates And Taxes etc. 74. Recovery of rates and taxes etc. Part V Messengers-At-Arms And Sheriff Officers 75. Regulation of organisation, training, conduct and procedure. 76. Advisory Council. 77. Appointment of messenger-at-arms. 78. Inspection of work. 79. Investigation of alleged misconduct. 80. Courts’ powers in relation to offences or misconduct. 81. Provisions supplementary to section 80. 82. Appeals from decisions under sections 79(5) and 80. 83. Service of charge and execution of diligence or warrant void where officer of court has interest. 84. Collection of statistics from officers of court. 85. Measure of damages payable by officer of court for negligence or other fault. 86. Official identity card. Part VI Warrants For Diligence And Charges For Payment 87. Effect of warrants for diligence in extract decrees and other documents. 88. Warrants for diligence: special cases. 89. Abolition of letters of horning, horning and poinding, poinding, and caption. 90. Provisions relating to charges for payment. 91. Enforcement of certain warrants and precepts of sheriff anywhere in Scotland. Part VII Miscellaneous And General 92. General provision relating to liability for expenses in court proceedings. 93. Recovery from debtor of expenses of certain diligences. 94. Ascription of sums recovered by diligence or while diligence is in effect. 95. Certain diligences terminated by payment or tender of full amount owing. 95A. Prescription of Arrestment. 96. Provisions to assist debtor in proceedings under Act. 97. contd. 98. contd. 100. contd. 101. contd. 102. Procedure in diligence proceeding on extract of registered document etc. 103. Appeals. 104. Regulations. 105. Application to Crown. 106. Interpretation. 107. Financial provisions. 108. Minor and consequential amendments, transitional provisions and repeals. 109. Short title, commencement and extent. Schedule 2: Deductions to be made under Earnings Arrestment Schedule 3: Disbursements By Sheriff Clerks Under Conjoined Arrestment Order Schedule 4: Recovery Of Rates And Taxes etc. Schedule 6: Minor And Consequential Amendments Schedule 7: Transitional Provisions Schedule 8: Repeals Table of Amendments An Act to make new provision with regard to Scotland for an extension of time for payment of debts; to amend the law relating to certain diligences; to make provision in respect of messengers-at-arms and sheriff officers; and for connected purposes. [15th May 1987] Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:— Annotations: Part I Extension Of Time To Pay Debts Time to pay directions on granting decree Time to pay directions. 1. — (1) Subject to subsections (3) to (5) below and to section 14 of this Act [on an application by the debtor,] the court, on granting decree for payment of any principal sum of money[, shall, if satisfied that it is reasonable in all the circumstances to do so, and having regard in particular to the matters mentioned in subsection (1A) below,] direct that any sum decerned for in the decree (including any interest claimed in pursuance of subsections (6) and (7) below) or any expenses in relation to which the decree contains a finding as to liability or both such sum and such expenses shall be paid— (a) by such instalments, commencing at such time after the date of intimation by the creditor to the debtor of an extract of the decree containing the direction, payable at such intervals; or (b) as a lump sum at the end of such period following intimation as mentioned in paragraph (a) above, as the court may specify in the direction. [(1A) The matters referred to in subsection (1) above are — (a) the nature of and reasons for the debt in relation to which decree is granted; (b) any action taken by the creditor to assist the debtor in paying that debt; (c) the debtor’s financial position; (d) the reasonableness of any proposal by the debtor to pay that debt; and (e) the reasonableness of any refusal by the creditor of, or any objection by the creditor to, any proposal by the debtor to pay that debt.] (2) A direction under subsection (1) above shall be known as a “time to pay direction”. (3) Where a court grants a decree which contains a finding as to liability for expenses but does not at the same time make a time to pay direction, then (whether or not the decree also decerns for payment of the expenses), it shall not at any time thereafter be competent for the court to make a time to pay direction in relation to those expenses. (4) Where a court grants a decree which contains a finding as to liability for expenses and makes a time to pay direction in relation to those expenses but— (a) does not decern for payment of the expenses; or (b) decerns for payment of the expenses as taxed by the auditor of court but does not specify the amount of those expenses, in relation to so much of the time to pay direction as relates to the expenses, the reference in subsection (1) above to the date of intimation of an extract of the decree containing the direction shall be treated as a reference to the date of intimation of an extract of a decree decerning for payment of the expenses, being an extract specifying their amount. (5) It shall not be competent for the court to make a time to pay direction— (a) where the sum of money (exclusive of any interest and expenses) decerned for exceeds £25,000 or such amount as may be prescribed in regulations made by the Lord Advocate; (b) where the decree contains an award of a capital sum on divorce or on the granting of a declarator of nullity of marriage; (c) in connection with a maintenance order; [(cc) in connection with a liability order within the meaning of the Child Support Act 1991;] (d) in an action by or on behalf of the Inland Revenue for payment of any sum recoverable in respect of tax or as if it were tax; (e) [ … ] (f) in an action for payment of— (i) any duty due under the Betting and Gaming Duties Act 1981; (ii) car tax due under the Car Tax Act 1983; [ … ] (iii) value added tax due under the Value Added Tax Act 1983 or any sum recoverable as if it were value added tax.